


The Weather Inside is Frightful

by DawnsEternalLight



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman and Robin (Comics), DCU (Comics), Nightwing (Comics), Robin: Son of Batman (Comics)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bonding, Brother Feels, Brothers, Gen, Hypothermia, Not a Christmas story despite the title, its just really cold
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-29
Updated: 2016-10-29
Packaged: 2018-08-27 20:05:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,608
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8414890
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DawnsEternalLight/pseuds/DawnsEternalLight
Summary: When an attack from Freeze leaves Dick and Damian trapped in a bank together the two try to keep each other awake while they wait for help.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [thegalacticpope](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thegalacticpope/gifts).



‘A bank is never supposed to be this cold,’ Damian decided as he shivered in the office’s remaining chair. Chilly yes, but when the bank was turned into a literal icebox by Freeze it took things to a different level. He glanced over the back of the chair looking for Dick. His oldest brother had disappeared into the tiny closet forever ago in search of something he could use to break the ice.

He sneezed and curled further into himself, he hated the cold. It wasn’t fair, today was supposed to be a fun day. The last one before Grayson ran off on another world tour or whatever he was doing in his attempt to take down the Parliament of Owls.

An attempt Grayson had made clear Damian was not allowed to help with, no matter how many times he argued. Damian understood his brother’s reasoning, it wasn’t possible to fool the court into thinking they had control over Dick if Damian were to actively work with him. Even so he still wanted to do something. They’d used him to get at Grayson. They had tricked Damian into causing his brother untold amounts of pain and worry, and Damian wanted to lash out at them in any way possible.

He was helping, Grayson would say. His staying safe was the most important thing, Grayson would continue. Damian hated that idea, he could take care of himself and he refused to be tricked by the Parliament again. He wanted to make up for his mistakes. Grayson’s answer to that statement was to tell Damian he could come spend the day with him, give them both some rest and relaxation before he left again. This stupid bank was supposed to be a quick trip, then fun. Now they’d be lucky to get out before they froze.

Damian had lost track of how long it had been since the attack, a few hours at least. A few hours since Dick and Damian had worked furiously to get all the civilians out and since the ceiling caved in trapping the two of them in the back of the bank. Who knew how long it would take emergency crews to break through and get them out? Or even if anyone was still looking for them?

It was cold, and Damian was getting tired. He needed Grayson to get back and keep him awake. He couldn’t fall asleep now. It was dangerous in these temperatures, especially for someone as young as he was. He knew he shouldn’t close his eyes, but maybe just for a second. 

“Sorry about the wait, Little D. I didn’t find anything in there, we’ll just have to hope Bruce can get an industrial flamethrower over here or something.”

Grayson was back, but Damian didn’t want to open his eyes, he was finally starting to feel warm. Then a hand was shaking him accompanied by, “Damian!”

His eyelids were so heavy, but he managed to open them and blink at Grayson. Since when could his brother make two of himself? He blinked again and there was only one person standing in front of him.

“Come on, kiddo, sit up.” Had he laid down in the chair? When did that happen? He’d been sitting there only a moment ago. Strong hands helped him sit up and Damian wrapped his arms around his chest in an effort to still his shivering.

Dick was pulling his own jacket off now, and Damian didn’t understand why, it was cold, he needed that jacket to stay warm. “W-what’re you doing?”

“You’re freezing,” Dick said putting the jacket over Damian’s shoulders.

“I’m fine.” Damian tried to pull it off, but a hand stopped him.

Dick was giving him that look, the one that usually meant Damian shouldn’t argue, so he slipped his arms through the sleeves of the jacket and relished the leftover body heat as it helped to warm him up.

“What about you?” he asked.

“I’ll be fine. I’m bigger than you, so more natural heat.”

Damian nodded. “That makes sense. Children statistically catch hypothermia quicker than adults do.”

“That’s a cheery thought.” Dick frowned. “I thought you were going to try to walk around and find a weak spot in the ice?”

“I got a little dizzy.” Damian admitted. He’d been more than dizzy; he’d started getting double vision at the same time as his balance grew shaky. He’d figured his best option was to sit down and wait it out. His vision had cleared up soon after that, but once he was seated he found he lacked the energy to stand back up.

Grayson was frowning at him again. He knelt down and put a hand to the back of Damian’s neck. “Your still really cold, are you experiencing anything else weird? Hunger, confusion, an accelerated heartrate?”

All of those, plus some. Damian quickly catalogued all the other symptoms suggesting of mild hypothermia. Shivering: check. Confusion: check. An accelerated heartrate: check. Fatigue, dizziness, lack of coordination: check, check, check.  

Damian pulled Dick’s hand away. “I don’t have hypothermia. The light reflecting through the ice is giving me a headache, hence the dizziness.” That wasn’t really a lie, the light was bothering his eyes. He refused to admit the extent of his symptoms, that would only worry Grayson. Worrying would do them no good right now.

Besides, he didn’t want to see his brother’s eyebrows frown in worry or hear the slight tremble in Dick’s voice. The one that said Dick had seen Damian die once and he’d do whatever it took not to have to see it happen again. They were words Grayson would never actually say, and he didn’t have to. Damian knew his death weighed on him, he’d felt the same weight when he’d thought Dick was dead too.

No. Damian wouldn’t cause that tremble. Not today. He sat up a little straighter. “Really I’m fine. I’m feeling better now.”

Dick nodded and said. “Just keeping an eye on you. You can’t blame me for worrying. You did say kids are more prone to catching it.”

“I’m not most kids.”

This got a half smile from Grayson, a win in this day of defeats. “No, you’re not.” He said.

Dick turned towards the window, moving to look out it and Damian let himself relax. Extra jacket or no, he was still freezing, and his shaking was getting worse. He snuggled the jacket closer to him, tugging the hood over his head.  

“Hey, Dami want me to sing you something? Or maybe I can tell you about the time Tiger and I had to sneak into a monastery with—”

Damian wanted to answer, but his eyelids were getting heavy again. He realized he must look like a wilted flower at this point, drooping and crumpled. “M-maybe—” he tried, hoping his chattering teeth would cover for the hesitancy in his voice.

Grayson didn’t seem to believe him, and was back by Damian’s side in a moment, lifting him off the chair. “D-d-don’t,” Damian stammered but at this point it was more out of habit than real dissent.

Grayson was warmer than he was, so he let his brother tug him close as he took the chair instead. Sharing body heat _was_ suggested in a situation like this, he thought as he let his head fall against Dick’s chest.

“Come on Dami, I need you to stay awake.” There it was, that tremble Damian had been working so hard to keep out of Grayson’s voice.

Damian pushed himself up into a sitting position. “I-it’s c-cold.” Why couldn’t he get a single sentence out without chattering teeth? He took a deep breath to steady himself, and for a moment his body stilled before everything began to shiver again.

“Just hold out a little longer.” Dick told him. “Talking will help you stay awake.”

Damian didn’t want to talk, but he also didn’t want to let Grayson down. “W-why can’t you do the talking? I’m tired.” He sounded like a whiny kid, but it was true. He didn’t care about the dangers of sleeping at this point, he just wanted the cold to stop.

He felt Dick rest his chin on his head. “You’d fall asleep, you always do.” There was a little laugh in that sentence, and Damian almost smiled, he did have a record of falling asleep when he was around his brother. “Bruce will be here soon with something to melt the ice, but until then I need you to stay awake.”

“Kay.” Damian yawned. “What do you want me to talk about?”

“Why don’t you tell me about how you met Goliath? I bet that’s an interesting story.”

Damian took another settling breath and began. “I found him during the Year of Blood.” He felt Grayson stiffen, and he almost regretted the story but his brother had asked, and the story was at least keeping him conscious.

“M-mother sent me to get an artifact and his family was protecting it. I—” his voice broke, and not because of the cold this time. Sudden fear gripped him, what would his brother think? Grayson knew Damian as someone who loved animals, loved Goliath, how would his brother react to Damian’s senseless slaughter of an entire family?

“It’s ok, Little D. You’re different from how you were back then.” The words were full of understanding. Grayson always understood. He’d seen Damian at his worst and hadn’t given up on him, even when Damian had seemed to be doing his best to make that happen. He always saw the best in him, and he was usually right.

But this time, Grayson was wrong.

“No I’m not.” he mumbled. “I killed them all, Grayson. His whole family is gone because of me.” Damian looked down at his hands, it was as if the blood that had soaked them back then was still there, cold as ice and unescapable.

“And now.” He pressed closer to Dick, noting that his own shivering had stopped, a sign that the hypothermia was worsening. The words were slipping out now, without his consent, secrets he’d hidden away that shouldn’t have ever been spoke.

“Now I’m doing the same thing, just to my own family.”

“Damian, stop it. This is not your fault.”

His fault or not it didn’t matter, he wasn’t only talking about this mess. “Ever since Talia dropped me off all I’ve done is tear everyone apart. Father never asked for me, neither did Pennyworth. I took the only thing Drake ever really wanted. When I died Todd had to see Father actively trying to bring me back. And you—” his voice caught again. “I’ve been the worst to you, Grayson.”

He realized his voice had been fading with every word, but he didn’t want to stop, he needed Grayson to know how sorry he was. “You did everything to make sure I’d become a hero like Father, and I was angry and difficult the entire time. Since then I’ve been nothing but trouble for you.”

His hand gripped Dick’s shirt. “Grayson, I’m so sorry. I’m sorry I died. I’m sorry I left you alone, I didn’t mean to cause you so much pain, I was just trying to help.” He couldn’t catch his breath, but it didn’t matter he had to say it. “I’m sorry I’ve been more trouble now with the owls. I’m sorry.” The last word was barely louder than the puff of air that held it. The relief at saying it, at telling Grayson how he felt was the last straw that ushered him into sleep even as his brother was shaking him in a desperate attempt to keep him awake.

* * *

The room echoed with silence as Damian’s last apology faded and Dick bit back a panicked sob. “No, Dami. Don’t do this. You’re going to be fine, there’s no need to apologize. B will be here soon and then everything will be ok.” Dick’s words strung together in a desperate attempt to keep his brother conscious.

Damian didn’t seem to listen to him as his eyes slipped closed, a tiny smile of relief on his face. Happy that he’d been able to say his piece. The guilt Dick felt over that was enough to drown him, but he couldn’t give into that right now. He pushed back the rising panic and tried shaking his brother again, lightly so he wouldn’t hurt him, but strong enough that it should wake him.

All that happened was Damian’s hand, now loose, slipped from Dick’s shirt and fell limply onto his lap. This was _not_ how today was supposed to happen. They should be at the arcade right now, blasting space aliens and chugging soda, not fighting for their lives.

“Damian, please, just open your eyes ok?” Dick tried again, hand on his brother’s cheek. It was so cold.

Damian’s only response was his head lolling to the side, away from his touch. Dick adjusted it so his little brother’s face was close to his chest again and willed the panic underneath to fade. Everything was going to be ok. Damian would be fine, because Bruce was going to come crashing in any second and get them out of there. Plenty of people recovered from hypothermia. Dick couldn’t remember the exact statistic, but he didn’t care. Plenty was enough, because Damian was more than enough. More than any kid his age and most people Dick’s. He’d be fine.

Except he’d succumbed to the cold as fast as any kid his age would. The statistics for children who died of hypothermia came easily to mind, and Dick couldn’t stop himself from thinking back on all the kids _he’d_ failed to save from one of Freezes attacks. No, Damian wasn’t going to add to that number. No matter what.  Dick pulled Damian closer to him, trying his best to cover his brother as much as possible. Anything to keep him that much warmer.

He toyed with the idea of leaving Damian in the chair and going after the tarp he’d seen in the supply closet, but what use would it be? There was no wind to protect Damian from, just the frigid temperatures Freeze had left them with. The tarp wouldn’t help. Nothing would help. Not even Dick could help. And that’s what was tearing him up.  Damian wasn’t moving, barely breathing in his arms and Dick couldn’t _do_ anything about it.

He cast his eyes around the room again for something, anything to use to break them out. It was still as bare as it had been the last time he’d checked. Splinted wood and crumbled roof tiles would be no help getting them out.

He had to get them out. He couldn’t just sit and wait. That had never been in his DNA. He was always moving, always doing. To be trapped in this tiny office with no way to get them out, no way to help Damian was impossible. He just couldn’t do it, couldn’t be powerless. Not now. Not with Damian so helpless, so tiny, so _fragile_ in his lap.

Something warm slipped down Dick’s cheek and he realized he was crying. He couldn’t be crying. Crying meant there was no hope. But his chest was heaving, the cold air burning his throat as he started to lose his calm. Damian was going to die and it was all his fault.

He’d been the one to suggest the outing as a way to pacify Damian. To stop the constant offers to help Dick against the Parliament. Dick’s chest heaved again as he thought about the earnest look in Damian’s eyes last time he’d offered. How passionately he’d argued against being left behind. He was mad about being tricked, but the real reason he was so against the Parliament was for what they’d done to Dick.

And he didn’t even know the half of it.

Dick pressed his face into Damian’s hair again and felt his guilt double, somewhere in his brother’s head was a bomb that he knew nothing about. Nothing about the panic that spiked in Dick every time Dami even so much as winced. Nothing about the constant worry running through Dick’s head about how much he could give away to his family before the Parliament would say it was too much and call him a traitor.

Some big brother Dick was turning out to be. Even when he was trying to keep him safe he still ended up putting Damian in more danger than was needed. It was no wonder Damian kept so much locked inside of him. How could he trust his brother with his fears when he couldn’t even trust him with his life?

Part of Dick’s mind knew that statement was false, but the situation before him contradicted it. He’d failed Damian time and again, and was failing him now. He looked down into his brother’s face to look for some sign of awakening, some sign of life, and his heart stopped for a moment. His lips were turning blue, the color bleeding out of them. And his whole face had gone almost white, the usually dark skin washed out in a color Dick had only seen once before.

“No, no, no, no. Come on Dami.” Dick begged his breath coming in short panicked gasps as he was unable to stop the memories of Damian’s death from surfacing in his mind again. He’d lost him once, he couldn’t lose him again. Dick’s hand went to Damian’s frozen cheek, then pressed to his neck searching for a heartbeat. It was faint but there was one. The relief at that realization did little to melt the icy panic growing inside of him.

Dick curled himself around Damian as best as he could, trying to encircle his brother in as much warmth as possible from his own chilling body. “Bruce, hurry.” Dick whispered at nothing, “Please, _please_. I can’t do this. I can’t keep him safe, I need you here.” His voice cracked and he let the next wave of tears come, dripping hot then cold down his face.

He cried until his cheeks started to freeze with the tear tracks, until he had nothing left inside him. The sun had tracked across the room’s single window by the time the tears slowed. They’d been there for hours, every second taking away from Damian’s chances at waking up again.

“I’m sorry too.” Dick’s voice echoed in the small room. “You think you were the worst to me, but really I’ve been the worst to you.” Dick said tightening his hold on Damian. “I didn’t even tell you I was alive after you came back. I let you think I was dead, let you blame yourself for coming back and me not being here.”

Damian gave no response, but that didn’t mean Dick’s own confession was going to stop. Once he’d started, the words just seemed to want to flow. Even unconscious, it was freeing to have Damian hear them. Maybe some of them might get through, maybe Damian would wake up at the words.

“When B told me you were back all I wanted to do was come home and see you, but I didn’t. I kept my stupid promise to Bruce to stay silent and you suffered for it, I’m so sorry Dami.”

He was crying again and he didn’t care. “You didn’t even blame me when you found out. You didn’t yell, or get angry you were just happy, so happy. I’ll never forget that smile you gave me. Even so—” The words caught on a sob, “I wished you had been angry, like Tim and Jay. But of course you weren’t. Not you, not when it comes to me. We’re too soft on each other.”

There was a knocking sound from the window and Dick’s head jerked up. The ice blurred anything but a dark shape knocking on the glass. His heart lurched with hope, Bruce. It had to be. He’d found them at last, or found a way. Dick freed one arm from around Damian and waved it wildly at the window, hoping he’d be seen.

The shadow disappeared and Dick stood, keeping Damian close to him, before backing as far away from the window as possible. Moments later the wall shattered, bursting pieces inwards, Dick put his back to the blast, shielding Damian from anything debris.

When he turned back around Batman stood slipping something into his belt. He looked up and frowned. “You two ok?”

“Your late.” Dick snapped, so relieved he was angry. “Dami’s in bad shape, he passed out forever ago.” He explained, his words tumbling over themselves as he rushed forward to Bruce, pausing only at the break between the wall and outside.

Warm air rushed forward and Dick could feel it easing the cold from him. He hoped it was doing the same for Damian. “We’ve got to get him warm fast. Tell me you have blankets in the car.”

Bruce nodded, and peered inside. “One, for emergencies. You got everyone else out?”

“Of course.” Dick answered stepping out ahead of him, “The GCPD can take care of the rest. Let’s go.” Even safe and out of the building he still couldn’t shake the dread in him. He knew it wouldn’t go away until Damian opened his eyes.

The Batmobile was close, and still running. Bruce was by his side opening the car. “Want me to take him for a second?” he asked.

Dick shook his head, he wasn’t going to let go of Damian for anything. “Find the blanket. I’m fine.” He slipped into the passenger’s seat. A moment later Bruce slipped in next to him, pausing to wrap the blanket around both Dick and Damian, “I’m glad you’re alright.” He said, hand resting on Dick’s shoulder for a moment.

Dick nodded adjusting the blanket so Damian was bundled in it as the car began to move. Damian was already starting to warm up, the color easing it way back into his skin. That at least stilled a little of Dick’s worry. When he was done, Dick reached over and clicked the heater on low. Not too high to shock his brother, but enough to keep them warm.

“What took you so long?” he asked Bruce setting back in the chair.

“I just found out.” Bruce answered. “The all clear had been given for the bank. I’d assumed you and Damian were a part of that, but then no one could contact you so I pressed for details. Someone remembered you two not making it out, they thought the authorities had been told.”

Dick nodded. “My phone broke in the attack. Damian didn’t have his on him today. We figured one phone was good for both of us.” 

Bruce glanced over at them. “Next time take two.” 

Dick coughed a laugh. “Next time I’m taking three.”

* * *

 

Consciousness came back slowly. The first thing Damian noticed was that he was shivering again. Then he felt the weight from what had to be a mountain of blankets resting on him, making him warm in a way that reminded him of sleeping in until the sun brushed his nose to wake him.  

A hand shifted at his back and he realized he was snuggled up against someone warm, one arm draped around him, the other resting above his heart. A feeling of safety and comfort settled over him, and he was tempted to let himself drift back into sleep.

“—Please, just wake up. For me.” the voice was raspy like it had been speaking for hours, like it hadn’t stopped for anything, as if stopping meant his wish wouldn’t come true.

Damian couldn’t ignore that voice, couldn’t fall back asleep when there was that tremble there. He pulled open his heavy eyes. “Grayson?” his voice sounded even worse, but the reaction he got would have been the same no matter what he sounded like.

There was the sharp intake of breath, the constricting of the arm around his back, the hand on his chest adding just that much pressure, and then. “Damian?” Careful, measured, like if he did the wrong thing he’d wake up from a dream.

“Why is there a mountain on top of me?” It wasn’t an important question, just the first that came out of his mouth.

“Alfred wouldn’t stop getting blankets until I told him they might all smother you. He wanted you to go to the hospital, but Bruce said you were already here, and we didn’t need to waste any more time before taking care of you so—” Grayson was rambling, but at least the tremble was gone from his voice.

“I understand.” Damian said yawning. “It’s basic first aid for hypothermia patients. As is an extra body to help warm the patient. Which is why I suspect you’re here and not in the chair beside my bed.”

Dick didn’t answer for a moment, instead he curled around Damian just that much more. “Dami, I’m so sorry.”

“Why? I’m fine.”

Dick pressed his forehead to Damian’s. “We’ve never talked about your death.”

“We never had to.”

“Yes we did.” He pulled back slightly to look Damian in the eyes, “Listen to me. Don’t ever be sorry about leaving me and don’t ever blame yourself for things that were out of your control, ok? I don’t care how much trouble you get yourself into, you’re the best thing that’s happened to me, and don’t ever forget it.”

Damian felt his face go red, and he pressed it into Dick’s chest in an effort to hide his embarrassment. He didn’t deserve those words not after he’d hurt Grayson again. Why had he even bothered to say all those things? Why had he put that weight on his brother? He couldn’t even almost die right, at least the last time he did it he’d done it protecting his family.

“Damian?”

He swallowed, he wanted to apologize again, but he couldn’t do that to him. Couldn’t make Grayson think that he regretted sharing his feelings. He wouldn’t put any further burdens on his brother.

“Tt, don’t get soft on me, Grayson. I only said those things because I thought I was going to die.” He hoped Dick couldn’t hear the slight tremble that had crept into his own voice.

His brother’s voice was soft when he spoke again. “That doesn’t change the fact that you felt that way.”

Dick was onto him and Damian couldn’t run away from this conversation, he was literally trapped beneath a ton of blankets and he’d used his one good line.

His brother sighed, causing Damian to sink closer to his brother as the air left Dick’s lungs.

“I’m not going to make you admit it again.” Dick said. “I just want you to know that it’s ok to want to protect me, but it’s also ok to tell me how you feel. We’re brothers, we take care of each other, but I can’t do that if I don’t know how your feeling.”

Damian nodded. There was something about Grayson giving Damian permission to try to protect him, and giving him permission not to have to that clicked with him. They did take care of each other, and his brother wasn’t fragile, he could handle as much pressure as Damian could. 

“Grayson?”

“Hmm?”

“Thanks.”

“Anytime, Little D.”

They sat there for a few moments before, “So what do you think about ice cream after you’re feeling better?”

Damian scowled, “Don’t even joke about that.”

“I was being serious, but if you don’t like that idea what about hot chocolate?”

“That’s the best idea you’ve had all day, Grayson.”  


End file.
